Loves Me Not
by YukiTenVianey Team
Summary: After a lot of drinks and a night that should've never happened, Ino and Shikamaru wake up to find in the worst possible way that they've slept together. Both decide to forget all about it until, two months later, Ino finds out something's not right. Shikamaru bows to take care of her and their new baby no matter what, only one problem: He doesn't love her...
1. We Should Be Proud Of It

**Story: "Loves Me Not"**

**Author: YukiTenVianey Team**

**Original Concept: Shizuka Taiyo**

_**Disclaimer: **We don't own Naruto, but that's pretty obvious. You all knew that already. _

_Before we begin, please be warned. - This is not the kind of story we would usually write about but the challenge was just too tempting to deny. Even so, it's done with our writing style and if you already know us, brace yourselves for a lot (and we do mean a LOT) of heart breaking drama._

_If you DON'T know us, well… we're warning you now, aren't we?_

_That said, let's begin with the story. Oh and, Shizuka-san… **CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!**_

**Chapter One**

**We Should Be Proud Of It**

"Come on Chouji…" Ino sighed as she rolled her eyes. "Since when does eating too much make you sick?"

From the other side of the bathroom door, she could hear her teammate throwing up so hard it would seem he planned on turning his stomach inside out.

"Oh Ino… I'm so…" Here he made a pause to gag. "I'm sorry, I…" A loud burping sound, followed immediately by a gross _'splat!'_.

"It's all right." She told him sympathetically. "Take your time, don't worry."

Shaking her head sadly, she walked away from the bathroom and into Chouji's living room, where Asuma and Shikamaru were staring vacantly at each other.

"Well?" Asuma asked as soon as she appeared on the door.

"It's over guys. There's no way he can come like this."

"Damn…" Asuma muttered.

"Well, party's out then." Shikamaru yawned. Unlike the others he didn't sound sorry at all. "We'll do it another time… maybe…"

"Yeah…" Ino sighed resignedly. "I guess we could try again next month and…"

"No!" They all turned to the hallway to see Chouji standing there. He was pale and feverish and looked as if he'd lost a couple of pounds. "You can't call it out, not now!

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow. "We can't go with you looking like that and don't even try to convince us that you're feeling better."

"I know I can't go, but that's no reason for you to stay as well. Remember it took Ino a lot of begging for his father to let us use their vacation hut to host it. Besides, I'd hate to be the one who ruined it for everyone else so why don't you go and have fun and I… oh…" His hand flew to his mouth and he dashed to the bathroom once more. "Just go already!" He managed to cry out before slamming the door behind him.

"Well… what do you think we should do?" Asuma asked the other two.

"I think…" Shikamaru began, scratching his head lazily.

"We should listen to him!" Ino chimed in. "I mean, it DID took a lot of effort to convince Daddy and we can't just waste the opportunity now that we have it!"

"You're right." Asuma agreed. "But we'll have to make it up to Chouji somehow."

"If we could just wait and…" Shikamaru suggested.

"We'll think of something on the way!" Ino interrupted again. "Now grab your stuff and let's get going!" She slung her messenger back on her shoulder and tugged at Shikamaru's arm.

"Take care Chouji!" Was all he could say before being practically dragged out of Chouji's house.

**(Loves Me… Loves Me Not…)**

"We could take him to that "All you can eat" barbecue." Asuma suggested as they followed Ino.

"We can't." Shikamaru grumbled, dragging his feet to show just how displeased he was. "Last time we went there he got us all banned."

"Damn, that was my last choice."

"Here we are!" Ino announced proudly as she gestured towards the two-story hut ahead of them.

"And do you HAVE to shout it out?" Shikamaru grumbled. "Can't you just say it like, I don't know, a NORMAL person?"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" She raised her voice even higher. "Is this good enough for you Shikamaru? IS IT?"

"All right, that's enough." Asuma broke in. "This is supposed to be fun, remember? So now be good and stop fighting."

"Yes Sensei!"

"Hum."

"I got al the food and snacks ready since yesterday." Ino said as she unlocked the front door. "But I was expecting Chouji, so there might be a lot of left-overs."

She stepped inside and turned on the lights to reveal a simple yet beautifully decorated living room. The smell of freshly picked flowers reached their noses at once.

"Hn, fancy." Shikamaru mumbled as he studied the giant flower vases and immaculate white couches. On the center of the room stood a small, hexagonal shaped table made entirely out of glass.

In a way, he was glad that Chouji had been unable to come and be around so many things that he could have easily ruined.

"That's not mine." Ino said as she suspiciously eyed a blue cooler sitting on a corner next to the T.V. set.

"Oh, no." Asuma shook his head. "I brought it this morning."

"You?" Ino wrinkled her nose skeptically. "And how did you get in?"

"Well, I had to ask your parents if it was okay to bring it along and, since they all agreed, Inoichi lent me a key."

"If they… agreed…" Shikamaru frowned. "What _exactly _did you bring?"

Ino was a step ahead o him and threw open the lid to reveal about 20 colorful, drop shaped bottles buried in ice-cubes.

"Are these…" She dipped her hand in the ice and pulled out a green "Kiwi flavored" bottle. "Are these alcoholic drinks?"

"It wouldn't be a party without them, would it?" He shrugged. "Besides, this is a moment of celebration. Completing an S ranked mission is not something we do everyday and we should be proud of it."

"Yeah!" Ino cheered in that annoying, high-pitched tone of hers. "Let's get started then!"

She tossed a yellow bottle at Shikamaru who, being caught off guard, had to fumble with it to save the rug from imminent disaster.

"Hey, what are you…" But Ino had already dashed into the kitchen.

She reappeared moments later carrying a large tray toppled with potato chips, which she set on the hexagonal table.

"Boys!" She said dramatically, hands on her hips. "I challenge you to a chip-eating contest!"

"No way." Shikamaru grumbled, but to his surprise Asuma seemed to be pleased with her ridiculous challenge.

"All right." He smiled as he took the cigarette off his mouth. "Just don't start crying once you lose."

"You've gotta be kidding me." Shikamaru shook his head, then unscrew the cap of his bottle and drained it all in one gulp.

If he had to endure a whole night with those two, he didn't want to be sane enough to remember it later.

**(Loves Me… Loves Me Not…)**

After what seemed like a decade of hearing Ino's never ending babble, Asuma's drunk tales and being dragged all over the place as Ino's dancing partner, they were all finally too drunk to keep on going.

"Well, that's it for me." Asuma sighed as he got up and headed towards the stairs. "Ino… which one is my room?"

"The first one, Sensei!" She grinned stupidly at him. "Mine is the second and Shikamaru's the third!"

"Gotcha." He answered, stumbling up the stairs.

"Soooo…" She collapsed on a couch next to Shikamaru, who appeared to have melted against the cushions. "What should we do now that we've lost the "Adult Supervision"?"

"Hn." Shikamaru slowly tried to sit up properly. "Go to sleep, perhaps."

"Hmmm…" Ino sat in silence for a moment, then asked something he would have never expected to hear, much less from her. "Shikamaru… would you like to kiss me?"

_Woah, woah… WHAT?_

**(Loves Me… Loves Me Not…)**

_Well, it was a bit short and very simplistic, but we promise it'll get better._

_**PREVIEW:**_

"_Then you know how to do it? Are you a good kisser?"_

"_Ye… no… how the hell should I know, I've never kissed myself!" He snapped, his face turning bright red. "Why do you care anyways? It's not as if you've **ever **cared about anything I do!"_

"_Because I've never kissed anyone." Ino answered pitifully, then she drew closer and all but sat over him. "Could you be a good teammate and teach me Shikamaru?"_

_Hold the world! WHAT?_

_Chapter Two: "Like Me"_


	2. Like Me

"_I can't believe it!" Ino yelled indignant as she pressed her nose against the monitor screen. "148 Hits, 132 Visitors, 6 Story Alerts and only **4 reviews**?"_

"_Calm down woman, it's not that bad." Shikamaru scratched his head. "4 is a good number."_

"_4… out of 132 people… just 4… you!" She point at the screen. "You like reading but not reviewing! What do I have to do? Make out with Shikamaru?"_

"_Eh… I don't think…"_

"_All right Shikamaru, come here!"_

"_No, no way! Hey… what are you doing?"_

"_I'm writing chapter two!"_

"_Help me!"_

_And that's what happened… To **ShikaIno1, mysticXdrops, ShikaInoInuKikIchiHime36 and Shizuka Taiyou**, we are very grateful. To the rest who didn't review… you'll have to pay for Shikamaru's therapy. _

**Chapter Two**

**Like Me**

"Shikamaru, would you like to kiss me?"

Shikamaru nearly choked with his own tongue.

"P-Pardon?" He blinked rapidly, not sure he had heard her right.

"Would-you-like-to-kiss-me?" She repeated slowly.

'_Crap!'_

"I… eh…" He slowly scooted away from her. "I'm not really… I don't think… no." He concluded finally.

"Oh." Was Ino's only reply. She then fell silent for a really long time

"Anyways, I'm going to bed already." He yawned. "You should do the same."

But just as he was about to get up, Ino reached out for his arm and held him in place.

"Is there something wrong with me?" She half-squealed. He couldn't tell if her eyes were glassy because she was drunk or because she was holding back her tears. "Don't you think I'm pretty?"

'_Hell no!' _Was his first choice, but he knew better than that.

"It's not that, you're just…" What was that crappy phrase they all used? "You're not my type."

Yeah, that was it!

"Really?" She squinted at him. "Then who IS your type?"

"Well, you know, girls like…" Temari's face flashed before his eyes. "Why are you asking me this anyways?"

"You see… there is this guy I really like, and I told him so, but he said he'd never be interested in me because…" Shikamaru watched in horror as a river of tears began flowing down her cheeks. "He said…" She whimpered. "He said I'm clingy and annoying and he can't stand the sound of my voice. He said that my very presence bothers him and then, to top things up, he said that **he doesn't like blonds**!"

"Woah." Was all Shikamaru could say.

He knew well enough that Ino WAS all those things, but to think someone had said it to her like that made him annoyed somehow.

Who was this guy anyways? Not even **Sasuke **had rejected her like that, and he was the last Uchiha for God's sake!"

"Well, there has to be someone else out there who likes you."

Ino shook her head sadly.

"Ever since Sasuke-kun left I've been trying to find someone, but it's always the same." She chugged down another bottle. "No one's interested in me!"

"Yeah, that kind of sucks." Shikamaru agreed, leaning back against the couch.

A few seconds of awkward silence passed.

"Ne, Shikamaru." Ino called sweetly, which was something rare coming from her.

He turned his head in her direction only to find Ino's face barely 3 inches away from his.

"What?" He tried to back away but he had already reached the end of the couch.

"Have you ever kissed someone?" She tilted her head.

"Yeah." He managed to choke out.

"Oh, don't lie to me Shikamaru." She placed her hand on his chest and pushed him on his back. "I promise I won't laugh."

"I'm not, I've actually… well it was more like SHE kissed me, but…" He blushed and looked away.

"Then you know how to do it? Are you a good kisser?"

"Ye… no… how the hell should** I** know, I've never kissed myself!" He snapped, his face turning bright red. "Why do you care anyways? It's not as if you've **ever **cared about anything I do!"

"Because I've never kissed anyone." Ino answered pitifully, then she drew closer and all but sat over him. "Could you be a good teammate and teach me Shikamaru?"

'_Hold the world! What?'_

At this point it became clear that Ino was WAY beyond drunk because, Shikamaru thought, she couldn't really be THAT desperate.

"You know what Ino?" He tried to push her away without having to actually touch her. "I'm not that drunk and I seriously don't think you're desperate enough to… mmnhhn!"

He was cut short by Ino's lips pressing against his.

"Mnghh!" He complained, trying to het Ino off him but she held him by the back of his neck so he couldn't break the lip lock.

It felt kind of good, Shikamaru admitted. But this was **Ino **he was kissing for God's sake!

'_She's going to kill me! She's going to **KILL ME**!'_

Using what was left of his strength and, hell, a lot of will power, he pushed his knees and elbows against her to het her away.

"Stop, stop that!" he panted once he could breath again.

"Shikamaru." She said almost pleadingly.

"Sorry." He rolled off the couch onto the floor, then jumped to his feet before she could get any ideas. "You've got the wrong guy here."

"But… but I…" Her bottom lip began to quiver as a fresh round of tears flooded her eyes. "Not even you?"

"Don't get like that again, I just… hey!" What was that supposed to mean?

What's wrong with me Shikamaru?" She cried out hysterically. "Tell me just **what **is it that you don't like about me! TELL ME!"

"Well…" He began making a mental list.

You're bossy, you're noisy, you're rude, self-centered, aggressive, highly volatile, the ring of your voice is almost unbearable and **you just don't know when to shut up!**

But of course, he couldn't say any of those things out loud.

"Is it my hair?" She gasped, then pulled off the ribbon that held up her hair. The long, blond locks cascaded down her back. "You don't like blonds?"

"Er…" He flinched. Once again, Temari's face flashed in his head. "I don't really have anything against…" The last words were unintelligible because he mumbled them under his breath.

"Is it my body then? Am I fat?" Shikamaru shook his head. "My legs then?"

At the mention of her legs, his eyes instinctively trailed down to them. Shikamaru noticed it on time and turned his eyes away as if they had been burnt by the vision

They were okay, he guessed (not that he knew the difference), so he only shrugged in answer.

"Then why Shikamaru? Why didn't they like me?" She grabbed his face and turned him so she could see into his eyes. "Why don't **you **like me?"

Shikamaru groaned inwards and shook his head.

"How should I know?" He rolled his eyes. "I don't like you, not as a woman anyways, but I don't really know why."

Of course he knew exactly why, but he knew better than to tell Ino.

"Hmm…" She appeared lost in thought for a moment, then a strange look crossed her face. "You don't have a reason not to like me, but what if…" She stepped closer to him and crossed her arms behind his neck.

"He-Hey!" Shikamaru complained, trying to ignore the burning in his cheeks.

"What if I give you a reason to like me?"

'_No this again!'_

"All right, all right!" He raised his hands in defeat "I'll tell you why."

"Oh." She stepped away and looked at him expectantly.

"Listen, I don't know about the other guys, how should I? But I know **I **can't like you for the simple fact that you're my teammate."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, my job is to go around with you on missions, piss you off whenever I can and protect you if necessary. That's what a teammate does, nothing else. I don't like you like that and I'm not supposed to either, but it's really no big deal I mean, we both know I'm not exactly "Boyfriend Material." If I were you I'd find someone who likes me for who I am instead of wasting time and energy trying to please me."

"Wow." She muttered. "That was deep."

"Ugh, now I think I'm gonna be sick!" He made a disgusted face. "Why are women so troublesome?"

He walked to the cooler and pulled out two more bottles, then started up the stairs to the second floor.

"I'm going to sleep, you should do the same."

"Yeah." Ino answered vacantly, grabbing another bottle herself. "Just a minute."

**(Loves Me… Loves Me Not…)**

"What a night." Shikamaru sighed as he kicked off his shoes. "Talk about craziness."

The memory of Ino's kiss came back to him in a rush, along with an oppressive sense of guilt.

He shook his head hard and drained out his two bottles before he could think about it again.

This was a night he **really **didn't want to remember.

**(Loves Me… Loves Me Not…)**

'_Ne, Shikamaru…' _He could hear the voice but couldn't tell who it belonged to. _'Are you asleep?'_

"Nnh."

'_The lights are out, I'm scared. Can I sleep with you?'_

"Whatever." He grumbled, rolling over to his left side.

**(Loves Me… Loves Me Not…)**

_So the make-out session didn't go too far. I hope you don't mind it and… come on guys, just review. It won't cost you nothing!_

**PREVIEW:**

"_Ino?" He tried again._

_Still no answer, so he merely shrugged and advanced to the next door._

_There was no answer here either but, luckily for him, this was a boy's room and he could get in no problem._

_Yeah… luckily…_

"_Shikamaru!" He poked his head inside. "How long are you going to HOLLY SHIT!"_

_His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he gapped at the scene before him._

"_Get up! Both of you get up NOW!"_

_Chapter Three: "Surprise!"_


	3. Surprise!

"_Shikamaru! Shikamaru!" Ino jumped on him and almost knocked him to the ground. "We got 9 reviews for chapter two! Isn't that awesome?"_

"_Sure is, I'm glad you're happy."_

"_Really?"_

"_Yeah, because what's about to happen is by no means going to be nice. By the way… who the hell is going to pay for my therapy now?"_

_Luckily for us, we got a lot of reviews for the last chapter. Unfortunately for Shikamaru, all of us are broke, so he'll just have to live with it!_

**Chapter Three**

**Surprise!**

It was about 8:30 in the morning when Asuma finally gathered enough strength to get out of bed.

He groaned noisily as he sat up, everything going out of focus for a moment, then he got up and stumbled barefooted to the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later he was rummaging through the kitchen, trying to find his biggest morning necessity.

"Coffee!" He said in triumph as he pulled out a large can from an upper cupboard. "And what's this?"

He pulled out another jar full of chocolate cookies and, after some glances to make sure that no one was around, began the glorious task of stuffing his face with them.

Five cups of coffee later, he noticed that the contents of the cookie jar had been reduced by half.

"Hmm." He stared at it guiltily. "Guess I can't blame Chouji for this."

More glances and, since he was still alone, he placed the jar at the very back of the cupboard and sneaked out of the kitchen. One hour later, however, he got tired of idling around and returned to make breakfast for himself and the others.

"Kids!" He yelled up the stairs. "I made breakfast, come down already!"

No answer from upstairs.

Asuma frowned and checked his watch; it was already 10:00 am.

"What's up with these kids? They can't be THAT drunk."

He walked upstairs and stopped before the second door. Who's room was that now? Oh, yeah.

"Ino?" He rapped on the door. "There's breakfast downstairs, hurry up."

No answer.

"Ino?" He tried again.

Still no answer, so he merely shrugged and advanced to the next door.

"Shikamaru, I made some breakfast. Stop slacking around and get up." There was no answer here either but, luckily for him this was a boy's room and he could get in no problem.

Yeah… luckily…

"Shikamaru!" He poked his head inside. "How long are you going to HOLLY SHIT!"

His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he gapped at the scene before him.

"Get up! Both of you get up NOW!"

"Hey." Shikamaru complained groggily as he sat up. "Keep it down, I'm…" He turned to his right and stared in horror at Ino next to him.

**Naked **Ino next to him.

"Fu… Damn!" He covered his eyes and looked away, even though Ino had the covers over her.

"Shi… sense?" Ino looked around herself like a lost rabbit.

The five cups of coffee and half a jar of chocolate cookies fought their way up his throat.

**(Loves Me… Loves Me Not…)**

_Ok, so we know it was short and it was very simplistic and we have some people saying that the plot is very predictable and… ok, it IS, we admit! At least for now, the substantial stuff starts after they get chopped down by Asuma, so you'll just have to wait._

_If you want a thick plot, read our story "Game of Fear", ok?_

_Done with the subliminal message, now on with the preview._

_**PREVIEW:**_

'_No, no, wait! Time stop here please!' He pressed his hands against the sides of his head and looked down at the sheets over him. He was wearing nothing aside from them, he could tell that for sure. 'Ok, so we both got REALLY drunk, right? Then we got tired and went to sleep but somehow ended up sleeping with each other, yes? Sleeping is all right, there's nothing wrong with sleeping and… and even if… even if we somehow ended up naked, that doesn't mean we've done something wrong, right?'_

_RIGHT?_

_Chapter Four: "Mistake"_

_Thanks to: **ShikaIno1, mysticXdrops, ShikaInoInuKikIchiHime36, Shizuka Taiyou, Just a reader,Yoky2cool4u, misslaly19, RosieWinterMoon, Wild'nFree, MidnightNinja777 and Hitsuhina fanatic, **in the name of all YukiTenVianey Team :3_


	4. Mistake

_(Insert heavenly music and flowery background)_

"_Shikamaru!" Ino skipped happily towards him. "Shikamaru, guess how many…"_

"_Nine." Shikamaru yawned, completely ruining the effect._

"_W-what?" Ino stopped abruptly and almost tripped on her own feet._

"_You were about to tell me how many reviews the last chapter got, weren't you? Well you can save it. I already know we got 9."_

"_How do you know that? Did you hack the Writers' computer too?"_

"_No, I… wait, how the hell did you do that? Anyways, no. Did it ever occur to you that you can **actually **ask the writers themselves?"_

"_Well, I did think about that once, but they look kind of mean, you know?"_

"_Mean?" He laughed humorlessly. "No, they're not mean. Turning Sasuke into a parody in one of their stories and putting us in this situation for the sake of reviews is not mean. Giving you a gory death in their horror story was not mean at all and the little one's mother naming their dog after me was obviously not mean. If you think about it, those three aren't mean, they're downright CRUEL!"_

"_*Gasp!* I got killed in… hold on… did her mother really name a dog after you?"_

"_Yeah. And a **female **dog, mind you…"_

**Chapter Four**

**Mistake**

"Get up! Both of you get up NOW!" Asuma boomed. His voice felt like a hammer banging on his head.

"Hey!" He complained as he sat up, wondering what the hell he could want and why he was yelling at him like that. "Keep it down, I'm…"

Wait, had he said _both _of you?

He turned to his right and found Ino lying next to him. How had she ended up there and… why was her hair so messed up?

Never mind that, why was she wearing nothing but the bed sheets!

"Fu…" He began to curse, but decided to change the word before he could utter it. "Damn!"

Shikamaru covered his eyes and turned away, praying to all the Gods that it were all just a big nightmare caused by the drinks.

You could say it was… in a way…

"Shi… sensei?" He heard her quivering voice next to him and he might have even had pity on her, if only he weren't so pitiful himself.

'_No, no, wait! Time stop her please!' _He pressed his hands against the sides of his head and looked down at the sheets over him. He was wearing nothing aside from them, he could tell that for sure. _'Ok, so we both got REALLY drunk, right? Then we were tired and went to sleep but somehow ended up sleeping with each other, yes? Sleeping is all right, there's nothing wrong with sleeping and… and even if… even if we somehow ended up naked that doesn't mean we've done something wrong, right?'_

RIGHT?

**(Loves Me… Loves Me Not…)**

'_Kill me.' _Ino begged silently. _'Please kill me.'_

Although she had absolutely no memory of what had happened during the night, it wasn't exactly hard to figure it out on her own.

'_This is not happening. This is NOT happening!'_

Her eyes darted in all directions, trying to find anything that could prove her wrong. There was no way she could have slept with Shikamaru so this whole thing had to be a **big **misunderstanding.

So let's see… what was around that could prove her innocent?

Shikamaru was next to her looking as though he'd just been sentenced to death, his pants were at the foot of the bed along with her blouse, her skirt was lying right at Asuma's feet and, to make things even better, there was her bra, hanging it all it's splendor from a lamp on the bed stand.

But the best part, really, was Asuma-Sensei's priceless expression. His eyes were as round as an owl's and it was hard to tell if he was choking or about to throw up.

Either way she was sure that, in over four years of knowing him, she had never seen him that mad.

"Shikamaru, get out here this instant!" He boomed, pointing to the floor as if to signal the exact spot where he wanted him to stand.

"But…" Shikamaru looked down at himself, probably wondering how he could do that without showing off before everyone.

"RIGHT NOW!"

Shikamaru flinched, then snatched a cloth that decorated one of the bed stands and wrapped it around his waist. On his way to the door he made a grab for his pants then dashed outside.

"Ino, you…" Asuma turned to look at her, but suddenly seemed to notice her bra hanging from the lamp. The red in his cheeks and forehead spread to the rest of his face and for a second Ino was afraid that it might explode. "Just… just put something on and come out here! Hurry!"

As soon as he had slammed the door behind him, Ino jumped to her feet and began to frantically search for her clothes.

"Wait a minute…" She looked down at herself. "I'm still wearing my panties! That must mean…"

"WHAT IN THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!"

The deafening shouts from outside interrupted her "happy thoughts", so she hurried and got dressed while Shikamaru got his ears yelled off outside.

As quickly as possible, she pulled on her blouse and skirt, but no shoes and bandages and shit. She had to hurry out before Asuma could get angrier… if that was even possible.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU COULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS! YOU OF ALL PEOPLE!"

"But I didn't… we didn't…" Shikamaru mumbled, but Asuma was in no mood to hear an answer.

"SHUT UP! SAVE YOUR STORIES FOR WHEN INO GETS HERE! WE'LL SEE IF YOU HAVE A VALID EXCUSE FOR SUCH SHAMEFUL ACTIONS!"

Ino, who was about to go out, paused with her hand on the doorknob.

Shameful… yes, shame. Was she really ready to face it?

She hadn't thought about it until now, because she'd been too overwhelmed by the initial shock, but facing an angry Asuma about such an embarrassing situation was by no means going to be easy.

Even worse, after all that had happened, or had supposedly happened (for she couldn't remember a thing), there was no way she could ever look Shikamaru on the face again and now she had to stand next to him and try to convince Asuma of their innocence!

How was that even going to be possible if she wasn't sure of their innocence herself?

'_I'm not going out!' _She decided firmly. _'Even if Sensei breaks down the door and even if he tries to drag me out by the hair, I'm NOT going out!'_

"INO!" Almost as if he'd read her thoughts, Asuma boomed out her name. "We're waiting for you! HURRY OUT!"

His angry voice made her resolve crumble instantly.

Sighing heavily and with tears in her eyes, she twisted the doorknob and opened the door just enough to peek outside.

"OUT!" Asuma commanded. It seemed he was getting angrier by the second.

'_God, I'm begging you…'_ She prayed in her head. _'Please kill me now…'_

**(Loves Me… Loves Me Not…)**

So, um… yeah, there was a huge delay but it was mainly because our internet was down so… heh… well, just review! It won't cost you nothing!

**PREVIEW**

"_All right, then." His voice still shook with anger, but Ino's tears must have done a number on him because he seemed unable to yell at her anymore. "Care to explain what happened last… no, forget that." He corrected himself as he took his right hand to his forehead. "I KNOW what happened. All I want to know is why. Why pick this exact moment to… I mean, what was going through your head when… argh!" _

_He shook his head so hard she could hear his brain rattling inside his skull._

"_But we didn't…." She sniffled, building up all her courage to speak. "You're wrong. We didn't do anything."_

_Wrong answer. She found out a bit too late._


	5. Shame On You!

_Shikamaru yawned so hard that his eyes filled up with tears, then he lazily picked up a piece of paper from his "desk" (the kitchen table) and, slumping on his chair, began reading in a monotonous voice._

"_The writers of YukiTenVianey Team would like to apologize for the following things.-_

_1.- The delay of Chapter Five_

_2.- The shortness of previous chapters_

_3.- Giving too much importance to the beginning events and making the explanation drag on forever._

_It is because of these complains that the readers themselves have sent, that we will try to speed things up and get on with the story already."_

_Shikamaru paused to yawn again, then he simply crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it over his shoulder._

"_If they're so sorry, then who don't they read this themselves?"_

"_They can't!" Answered Ino, picking up the paper ball and throwing it inside a trash can. "They're too busy trying to stop Head-Writer-San from throwing herself out the window!"_

_MEANWHILE…_

"_I'm a bad writer! I don't deserve to live!"_

**Chapter Five**

**Shame On You!**

"Bitch!" Spat a voice from the crowd.

"Whore!" Someone else hissed.

"Slut! Ino's a filthy slut!"

She tried her best to keep a straight face despite the accusations, but the tears kept rolling down her cheeks.

What had he done to deserve all this?

Ah, yeah… that's right.

The crime was sleeping with one of her teammates. The penitence, being burned at the stake.

Her head hanging low all the time, she advanced with baby steps to the spot of the execution where Shikamaru, battered and half-naked, had already been tied up and set ablaze.

The sight of this made her stomach twist up into a knot and her entire being began shaking uncontrollably.

"Ino?" Asuma's voice snapped her back into reality.

The execution ground disappeared in an instant along with the angry crowd, but the insults they threw her way still rang inside her head.

"Are you okay?"

Ino looked up to him with red-rimmed eyes and nodded weakly while gritting her teeth to prevent the sobs from coming out.

"All right, then." His voice still shook with anger, but Ino's tears must have done a number on him because he seemed unable to yell at her anymore. "Care to explain what happened last… no, forget that." He corrected himself as he took his right hand to his forehead. "I KNOW what happened. All I want to know is why. Why pick this exact moment to… I mean, what was going through your head when… argh!"

He shook his head so hard she could hear his brain rattling inside his skull.

"But we didn't…." She sniffled, building up all her courage to speak. "You're wrong. We didn't do anything."

Wrong answer. She found out a bit too late.

**(Loves Me… Loves Me Not…)**

"You… you didn't…" Asuma could feel the blood boiling up to his head but he had no way, or reason, to stop it. "And you expect me to believe that?"

"But it's the truth!" Shikamaru spoke up.

"Do you two think I'm an IDIOT?" He snapped. "Do you think I'm BLIND? I just saw you there, you have no way to deny it!"

"No, we did not!" Ino sank to her knees, then covered her face and sobbed as if his words had just made the fact real. "I swear I couldn't have…"

Asuma looked down at the messy-haired blond girl before him and couldn't help but to pity her. There was just something NOT right about the way Ino and Shikamaru were taking this.

"Sensei…" Shikamaru spoke up in a raspy voice. It sounded as though he had something stuck in his throat. "I cannot make an excuse for what happened last night, I'm not sure about it myself. But I **can **assure you that, had we done something wrong, it would clearly not be Ino's fault."

Asuma stared at him dumbfounded, then the truth about it all hit him right there and then.

"Ino is a girl after all. She couldn't have forced me into anything I didn't wanted so if you have to blame it on someone, blame it on me and leave her out of this. I'll take full responsibility for us both."

"By God…" Asuma ran both hands down his face. This was much worse than he'd thought. "You didn't do this on your own will, did you?"

Ino began sobbing harder, so once again it was Shikamaru who answered.

"Blaming it on alcohol would be very irresponsible of me, but I have no other way to explain it. I'm certain that neither Ino nor I would have shamed ourselves and betrayed you in such way and… even if we had…" He swallowed hard and looked down. "It would **surely **not be with each other."

"Oh, shit…" Asuma held his head as though it could roll off his shoulders at any minute. "Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Oh, SHIT!"

He had expected them to fight back, give a valid reason or explain how they did it because they loved each other. Even indifference would have been a better outcome than this.

And the worst part about it was that it was HIS entire fault.

He looked down at Ino, who was now crying out loud while she kept her face hidden and a crushing wave of guilt took over him.

"Hey Ino." He said softly, kneeling in front of her and setting his left hand on top of her head. "It's all right kid. I won't…"

"Sensei." She reached out and clang to his sleeve, her watery blue eyes looking at him pleadingly. "Don't tell my father. If he finds out I… please don't tell him."

"I promise I won't tell anyone, especially not him. After all, the drinks were my idea so if he tries to get back at someone I'll bet the first to go down." Ino smiled weakly at him through her tears. "Now go hit the shower and don't worry about this anymore. We all make mistakes."

Ino nodded silently, then got up and headed towards the bathroom without looking Shikamaru's way even once.

As soon as she was out of sight he turned back to Shikamaru, who was staring at him with suspicion.

"Well then. You look like you had something to say."

**(Loves Me… Loves Me Not…)**

"You bet I do!" He frowned. "Asuma, you never let me explain what really happened so… how did you find out?"

"Oh, that…" He sighed. "Well, I guess I should have noticed it since I stepped inside your room but I was too angry to think straight. I mean… the way you reacted gave you away, real lovers wouldn't have reacted like that."

"Real lovers?" Shikamaru stared blankly at him.

Somehow being a genius didn't help when you stood wearing only your pants without underwear in front of a sensei who had chocolate smeared on his front teeth and crumbles all over his beard.

"Your sensei is an old man, Shikamaru." He admitted. "I've been caught in this kind of situations before, so I know how it works. If you really loved each other you would have admitted everything instead of denying it. If Ino looked up at you, as a man, she would have tried to hide behind you when I started yelling instead of cringing and blaming herself like she did and, finally, you as a man would have stood before her and taken the blame all by yourself or, for that matter, you wouldn't have even let her come out of the room."

"But I **did **take the blame."

"Right, you did. But only because that's what any honorable man would do."

"I just…" Shikamaru clenched his fists. "I couldn't stand seeing her like that. I can't remember a thing about what happened last night but… damn it! It was obviously not her fault! I… I wish…" He closed his eyes and sighed. "I wish she could have yelled at me, or hit me! Anything so I wouldn't feel this bad! But she just… ahgh!"

He shook his head and tugged at his hair in frustration.

"What am I supposed to tell her now? Hey Ino, I'm sorry I slept with you? How can I possibly apologize to her?"

"I…" Asuma mumbled. "I really don't…"

"Wait a minute!" Shikamaru suddenly snapped and point an accusing finger at his Sensei. "What was that you said?"

"Eh?" Asuma blinked in confusion, obviously startled by his reaction. "I said I didn't know…"

"Not that!" Shikamaru cut him short. "What you told me before! You said you'd been caught in this kind of situation before, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah. I did say…"

"Then what was that whole scene about?" He could feel his face going red, but this time it wasn't shame he was full of, it was pure rage and indignation. "Why did you point fingers at us if you've done the same thing before?"

It was his time to shout now, and he was making the most of it.

"It's easy." Asuma replied calmly as he pulled out a cigarette from one of the pockets on his vest. "I was caught with someone I loved, not a team mate."

Love… team mate…

Those words rang a bell for some reason.

… _for the simple fact that you're my team mate…_

_... I don't like you and I'm not supposed to either…_

… _that's what a team mate does, nothing else…_

Where had that come from? It was him who had said it, but why? To whom?

A fragment of memory from the night before came back to him and he searched his mind frantically for the remaining pieces.

"You see, I've been your Sensei for the last 4 years." Asuma continued. "And during that time I've never even seen you hold hands, let alone kiss. It's never even crossed my mind that either you or Chouji could have a relationship with her, I guess it's because you spend so much time together that I began to think of you as brothers and sister."

"Yeah…" Shikamaru lowered his head. "Now that you mention it, that would be the best way to describe them."

"So you can imagine what I felt when I walked into your room. I thought that maybe… well, I don't know what I thought, it just didn't seem right to me. Even then I had no right to yell at you like that, I just sent Ino crashing down."

"No, no. You had all the right to yell, at least at me." He closed his eyes.

Shikamaru wished now he hadn't tried to remember, because all he found was a brief memory of him kissing Ino. Even the speech about team mates he gave her afterwards could not change the outcome.

He had tried to resist temptation and failed miserably, it seemed.

"I'll go clean up everything." He excused himself, for once not complaining about what he had to do. "Then we can go home already. I really need to get out of here."

"Shikamaru." He was about to turn the knob when Asuma called him again. "Gentlemen have no memory, remember that."

Shikamaru smiled to himself at the irony of his phrase. How could he have no memory and remember at the same time?

Still, he got the main idea.

"Sensei… I have no idea what you're talking about." He replied before closing the door behind him.

**(Loves Me… Loves Me Not…)**

_We would now like to thank **ShikaIno1, mysticXdrops, ShikaInoInuKikIchiHime36, Shizuka Taiyou, Just a reader, AhesOfMyLife90, Yoky2cool4u, misslaly19, RosieWinterMoon, Wild'nFree, MidnightNinja777, Hitsuhina fanatic, iluvninjas, Haaai 3 and BananaBabe903 ** for supporting and reviewing our story!_

_**PREVIEW**_

… _not… … on… even… … memory… …that…_

_*Technical Difficulties*_

_Chapter Six: "A Gentleman's Memory"_

_Stupid preview… well, let's just give you a hint. Make out scene next chapter so REVIEW ALREADY!_


	6. A Gentleman's Memory

_Excuse me… miss Head-Writer-san?" Ino approached the tiny excuse of a human being that hunched over the kitchen table. _

"_Huh?" She looked up from the notebook she was scribbling on and blinked stupidly at her._

"_Do you know where Shikamaru is? I can't seem to find him anywhere."_

"_Oh, Shikamaru!" She smiled while pushing a lock of brown hair away from her eyes. Ino resisted the urge to laugh out loud at her hair, which she had chopped off so short that she had somehow ended up looking like a male K-pop singer. "Ten asked him to go up to her room. Apparently he's helping her with writer's block._

"_Oh…" Ino smiled, knowing that the unfinished (barely started) story would finally continue. "So he's helping her write chapter six now?"_

"_Yea, she just needed help to finish the second part since…" Her eyes widened suddenly and her face twisted into an expression of horror as she jumped to her feet. "OMG! She's writing the second part""_

_Vianey attempted to run upstairs to find them, but in her hurry she knocked down the chair she'd been sitting on and tripped over it, so she just half-limped, half-crawled up the steps to Ten's room._

"_Hang on Shikamaru! I'll save you!"_

_ELSEWHERE…_

"_Wait, no! Stop!" He struggled against the ropes holding him down. "Could you at least untie me? Wait… put that back on!"_

**Chapter Six**

**A Gentleman's Memory**

_Shikamaru had finally finished dressing up and was about to make the bed when the door opened silently and Ino tiptoed inside._

_She made an attempt to turn back when she noticed him, then thought better about it and took another step inside but seemed to change her mind. She was obviously unsure of what to do because she began shifting from one foot to the other._

"_Ino…"_

"Damn it Shikamaru!" He scolded himself. "Stop thinking about that already!"

Two days had passed since the "incident" with Ino and even though they had both promised to forget all that had happened he still found it difficult, or rather **impossible**, not to think about it.

In fact the memory was so persistent that he couldn't even play Shogi anymore because the guilt he felt wouldn't let him concentrate.

"Excuse me!" A woman loaded with a bunch of heavy shopping bags yelled in his ears. Apparently she had repeated the same words over and over before, but Shikamaru had been too lost in thought to actually notice her.

"S-Sorry." He stepped aside and blinked the haze out of his eyes. "I didn't hear you."

"Obviously not!" She snorted and stomped away, swaying under the weight of her bags.

"Sheesh." He scratched the back of his head. "Guess I should have staid home."

Sighing deeply, he turned away from the crowded streets of Konoha's market and headed back to the quiet and peace of his own house; his plans of distracting himself having failed completely.

"_I just…" Ino blushed and looked away. "I forgot my shoes."_

_She advanced on tip-toe to a side of the bed and Shikamaru tried to block the sight of her by focusing on his task._

_Using a little more force than he should have, he yanked off the top blanket, which startled Ino and made her look over. _

"_W-What…" He managed to choke out._

_They both turned to stone as, at the same time, they noticed the blood speck on the white bottom sheet._

"Enough." Shikamaru shook his head. The part that came after that was the one he wanted to forget the most.

_Ino knelt on the floor while covering her face. Once again she seemed to be trying to block all that was happening by simply blocking herself from it._

"_What just… what is __**that**__?!" He point at the bed frantically. "Why is… what did I… I didn't do anything to hurt you did I?"_

_But Ino didn't answer. She simply went on crying, so he ran (practically teleported himself) next to her and grabbed her by the shoulders._

"_Ino, look at me!" He shook her to bring her out of her mind trip. "Did I hurt you? Why is there blood on the bed? __**Did **__I hurt you Ino?!"_

"…"

She had just opened her mouth to answer when a strange, pale arm shot out of an alleyway and pulled him into the shadows.

Startled back into reality, Shikamaru could only let out a yelp as he was snatched away from the street and practically thrown against a wall.

"What-" He began, but a small, perfumed hand was pressed against his mouth and nose to prevent him from screaming.

"Keep quiet." A female voice commanded at the same time that a big pair of "some-whats" were pressed against his chest.

"Do you want my brothers to find us?"

"Fhmfh! Whf…"

"Shhhh!" She pressed her hand even harder against his face. "Be quiet, they're coming."

Two seconds later his heart skipped a beat as Kankuro and Gaara walked by and came to a stop right in front of the alleyway they were hiding in.

"Where do you think she's gone to now?" Kankuro frowned and looked around, which made her press herself so hard against him that she almost crushed them.

"Hmm." Gaara seemed to be frowning as well, but it wasn't easy to tell since he didn't really have eyebrows. "With that Nara Chunnin, maybe."

'_Crap!' _He thought. _'Now I'm in for it… again!'_

Shikamaru had to admit it, dating Temari was one of the best things in his life, but it was probably the most dangerous one all together.

Constant death glares, threats and "accidental" physical damage were extremely common. Even public humiliation had become a habit for Kankuro, who enjoyed trapping him in his chakra strings and making him dance in busy streets.

"Well, let's go find him then." Kankuro growled as they began to walk away. "And when we do, I'm gonna…"

He didn't get to hear the rest because they were already too far, but he was sure that whatever Kankuro was up to wouldn't benefit him at all.

"Whew!" Temari sighed once they were gone. "That was close!"

"Ghf, bfh hh cmf bbhf." He replied.

"uh… what?" She blinked up at him.

"Bhh cmf bbhf!"

"Oh!" She cried out and pulled her hand away from his face, which was already turning purple.

Shikamaru pushed her away and bent down, gasping for air. Once the flow of oxygen in his brain had normalized he turned to glare at the Sand Kunoichi.

"What were you thinking?!" He snapped. "Have you any idea what your brothers would have done to me if they'd found us?!"

"Awww." Temari pouted ad wrapped her arms around his neck. "But they **didn't **find us, did they?"

"Whatever." Shikamaru blushed and looked away. "So, did you need me for something?"

"For many things." She replied with a mischievous smile. "But right now I just need…" With that she leaned forward and pressed her lips softly against his.

Any other time he would have melted instantly. Any other time he wouldn't have even tried to fight it. But now, with all the guilt burning inside him and tearing at his conscience, Shikamaru's only reaction was to pull away.

"No… Temari, wait…"

_Shikamaru, eyes wide open, knelt on the floor next to Ino, who was once again crying out loud._

_What had Ino just said?_

_What had she said about the blood?_

_That it only appeared when… no… it had to be a lie. Ino must be lying because something like that couldn't… __**shouldn't **__be happening!_

_Until then he had kept the vague hope that it had all been a big misunderstanding. After all, the only memory he could recall from the previous night was a kiss, nothing else. He had even begun to hope they'd fallen asleep before anything actually happened._

_But now he had seen it with his own eyes… had heard it from Ino herself…_

_Before him there had been no one else._

_Before him Ino was… had been… before him…_

"Why?" Temari complained while seeking to resume the kiss.

"There's something I have to tell you."

_What was he to do now? What could he possible do? Even if he apologized a thousand times, that wouldn't solve anything._

_It wouldn't change what had happened or erase the crimson stain on the bed but, most important, it wouldn't give Ino back what she had lost._

_What he had taken…_

"Can't it wait for later?" She purred in his ear.

What was he now… really? He couldn't actually be a thinking, reasoning human.

He had always respected Ino as a teammate, as much as he had always respected Temari as a girlfriend. And now… what had happened now?

He had disrespected Ino, cheated on Temari and affected their lives. All in one go.

"Listen. This is very important, Temari."

Ino's tears… how could he ever pay for them?

"Ok, then." Hands on her hips, Temari stepped back. "What is it?"

"Temari… Temari, I…" How was he supposed to say it without getting chopped to pieces?

"Yes?"

Temari's heart… how could he avoid breaking it?

"Last week… my team and I went on a mission last week... uh… an S ranked mission…"

What the hell?! Why was he starting the story like that instead of just spitting it out?

Oh, that's right. Because he was a coward AND a selfish bastard.

"And we…"

Because he was more afraid of what Temari would do to him when she found out than of the way she might feel.

"We had this party to celebrate, and…"

Because he couldn't admit, not even to himself, that what had happened with Ino had been real.

"And…"

Wait a second… Ino! What would happen to Ino if Temari were to find out? He hadn't thought about that!

He knew well enough what Temari's reaction would be and he was ready to take it (or at least resigned to), but there was no way he could stop her rage from reaching Ino as well.

What if her brothers found out too?

He'd learned the hard way that Sand Ninja, especially those three, were not to be messed with.

Besides, he'd sworn to Ino that he would never mention their "incident" to anyone. Doing so would only put her on evidence and humiliate her even more.

"And…"

**Still**, he couldn't lie to Temari like that, he just **couldn't!**

'_Gentlemen have no memory.' _Azuma's voice echoed inside his head. _'Remember that.'_

"And?" Temari's eyebrows went up. She was clearly getting impatient.

"That's all." He shrugged. "We completed an S-ranked mission."

In the end, he just couldn't do it.

"Oh-kaaaaay." She looked at him suspiciously for a second, then that naughty smile he loved so much returned to her face as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "An S-ranked mission, then? That sounds great. Now, if I could only find a way to congratulate you…"

Once again she pressed herself against him, her lips trailing up his chin to meet his.

Sighing, Shikamaru closed his eyes and kissed her back. He didn't deserve it, he knew he didn't, but he just couldn't help it.

He held her by the waist and turned her so that her back was now against the wall, that way she could wrap her leg around him the way she liked so much and, sure enough, she did.

For some reason, perhaps to keep him from stepping away, she always did it.

And he **loved it.**

How could Temari do this? He wondered as he ran his hands up her back and pressed his lips softly on her neck. How could she make him forget about everything so easily?

Despite what had happened with Ino, he knew he would never love her. Not as a woman, and not even half as much as he loved Temari.

He would never… could never love anyone but her.

He would simply do as Azuma had told him, what Ino had **begged **him to do.

Just forget about everything…

"Hnn…" Temari moaned as she shivered slightly. "Shikamaru…"

The gilt, along with all the memories of Ino, completely vanished from his mind.

**(Loves Me… Loves Me Not…)**

Two weeks later, he dragged his feet lazily to the spot where the rest of his team was already waiting for him.

"You're late, Shikamaru." Azuma frowned. "Our mission won't wait forever, you know?"

"So sue me." He replied with a yawn.

He high-fived Chouji with little enthusiasm and, using all of his will power, turned to face Ino.

"Morning!" She chirped in her usual, high-pitched note.

There were no tears on her eyes this time, no smudged make up on her cheeks. No fear in her expression.

She looked as she always did, as smiley and annoying as ever.

'_Are you ok now, Ino?' _He wanted to ask. _'Or… do you still hate me?'_

But of course, he couldn't ask that, because he'd promised to never mention it again.

So instead of answering her greeting, he merely grunted and put on a fed-up expression, just like every other day before.

Inwards he was dying to apologize, at least one last time, but instead of saying "I'm sorry" like he meant to, all he could say was…

"Shut up, Ino."

Why? Because he was a gentleman.

And a gentleman has no memory.

**(Loves Me… Loves Me Not…)**

_A GREAT apology to all readers who were waiting for Chapter 6, it's been a loooooong time since the last update and we are very sorry for that, but we were finally able to produce a long chapter (mainly because the first part was dragging on forever and we just decided to cram it along with this chapter), so it was kind of worth it… we think. _

_Please be as kind as to review. Remember, the more reviews we have, the faster we'll update. This time the update won't take forever, we promise!_

_**PREVIEW**_

_She said the last word in such a dramatic note that, for a split second, Ino wondered if she hadn't pronounced "Cancer" wrong._

_Then, just like a bitch slap, reality hit her hard on the face._

_The lollypop jar she was holding slipped off her hands and came to a dramatic end against the white-tiled floor with a deafening 'CRASH!'._

_Chapter Seven.- "Consequence."_

_**Warning For Readers.- **__For those of you who think this story isn't as dramatic as we promised, all we can say is that the drama hasn't begun. Please stay put if you really want to see hearts being torn apart. Thank you :3_


	7. Consequence

"_Come on Ino." Shikamaru sighed in exasperation. "So we lost a couple of readers during the hiatus, it's really not that bad. I mean, we still got a decent amount of reviews considering…"_

"_Not that bad?" She wailed, lifting her reddened face from the table. "Not __**that**__ bad? We went from 15 reviews per chapter to barely 9! This is terrible!"_

_Shikamaru rolled his eyes. What the hell did she expect? A community of worshipers? _

"_Besides!" She went on, eyes flashing. "You hate being paired up with me in this story, but you have no complains when it's one of the writers!"_

"_That again?" He blushed a deep red. "How many times do I have to tell you? I was tied up, I had no choice!"_

"_Oh really? Then why didn't you cry out for help?!"_

_Shikamaru froze on the spot._

"_Uh… B-Because… Well, because…"_

"_You're such a jerk!" She ran out of the room while crying._

"_Because…" He continued, burying his head in his arms. "That writer… she was a C!"_

**Chapter Seven**

**Consequence**

"Ino!" Chouji ran to catch his teammate before she hit the ground. "Are you okay? Ino!"

She stared at him blankly for a couple of seconds, then she blinked and let out a short moan. Azuma and Shikamaru were next to them in a flash.

Chouji helped the shivering Ino to sit down. Her forehead was burning up and damped with sweat.

"You all right there, kid?" Azuma patted her head.

Ino's eyes were tightly shut and she kept her mouth open as she gasped for air.

"Sensei…" She held on to his arm as though she might suddenly lose her balance again. "I'm sorry… I can't…"

"Yeah, don't worry." He helped her back to her feet. "You can skip on training today, no prob."

"You should get yourself checked while you're at it." Shikamaru suggested. "Three days in a row can't be normal."

"Yeah…" She rubbed her eyes. "I think I'll go visit Sakura at the hospital today." She staggered forward, then held on to Azuma again as a new wave of dizziness attacked her.

"Whoa, whoa!" Azuma grabbed her by the shoulders to keep her on her feet. "You won't be able to get that far on your own. Shikama-" He began, but seemed to think better of it. "Chouji! Please help Ino get back, and make sure she gets to the hospital before anything else."

"It's ok, I don't need an escort." She joked, trying to ignore the fact that Azuma was still afraid (terrified, you could say) of leaving her and Shikamaru without supervision.

Really now, as if they were stupid enough to make the same mistake again.

"Mistake." She muttered as she made her way to the hospital where Sakura was still on shift.

That was all it would ever be, a simple mistake.

That was all she would ever be to Shikamaru, and she was fine with that.

"Help!" She squealed at Sakura before sprawling herself over her friend's check-up table. "I'm terribly ill, I'm going to die!"

"Grow up, would you?" Sakura pretended to be angry, but she couldn't hide the smile that played on her lips. "So, what seems to be the problem?"

"Must be a cold or something." Ino rolled her eyes. "Been feeling really crappy lately, like, I get very nauseous and dizzy out of nowhere, and I don't get very hungry and stuff."

"Mhm." Sakura scribbled down on her notepad. She was either writing down her symptoms or just pretending to, but Ino couldn't be sure. "And this started when?"

"Three days, a week… dunnoh." She shrugged.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Sakura blinked angrily at her.

"It's just… I've been feeling a bit sick for about two weeks now, but it's never been this- hey, where are you going?" she called after Sakura, who was already at the door.

"To the lab." She answered, turning the knob. "There's a new virus going around and your symptoms are very similar. I need to order some blood test, just to make sure."

"Blood tests?!" Ino shivered. "Can't you just give me some cold medicine and let me go home?"

But Sakura had already closed the door behind her.

**(Loves Me… Loves Me Not…)**

2 hours later, she was still sitting on the same hard, cold table while she waited for Sakura to bring back her results.

"Stupid Sakura." She pouted, as she was sure that there was really nothing wrong with her and Sakura was only trying to piss her off. Why else would she take so long to bring back the results when she'd clearly promised it would take less than 15 minutes?

Besides, she had even returned for a second blood sample and made her pee in a small test tube, which was impossible without without getting her fingers... No doubt about it, Sakura was doing all that in purpose.

Ino was helping herself to the lollypop jar on top of the desk when Sakura finally decided to return. She looked pale and made no reply to Ino's taunting, which should have been a clear warning that something was terribly wrong.

"Listen, Ino…" She began, but the words seemed to get stuck on their way out. "Why… why don't you take a seat?"

Ino sat back on the check-up table, still holding the jar for support. Judging by Sakura's expression, Ino could deduce she wasn't bringing any good news, but whether it was real or just some sort of joke, she couldn't tell for sure.

"W-What is it?" She stammered. "Did I get the virus or something?"

"No… no…" Sakura stared at the clipboard she was holding as though it were still hard to believe what was written in there.

"Well that's good, isn't it?" She smiled, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach.

Were her results really **that **bad?

"I'm not sure if this is really good…" She sighed. "Or really, **really **bad."

"What do you mean?" Ino frowned, completely clueless.

"Ino… Ino you're… pregnant."

She said the last word in such a dramatic note that, for a split second, Ino wondered if she hadn't pronounced "cancer" wrong.

Then, just like a bitch slap, reality hit her hard on the face.

The lollypop jar she was holding slipped off her hands and came to a dramatic end against the white-tiled floor with a deafening _'CRASH!'_

"No… no, no, no, no ,no." She jumped to her feet. "NO! It can't… I can't…" She stared at Sakura wildly. "Run those tests again, you obviously made a mistake!"

Sakura shook her head sadly.

"Run them again!" She commanded.

"I already did." Sakura appeared to be unable, or unwilling, to argue at that moment. "I must have done them at least three times each but the results are the same. You're 9 weeks pregnant."

Ino opened her mouth to argue, but her defeat had already been announced. It was right there on Sakura's black clipboard.

She let out a pitiful whimper just before hiding her face behind her hands. She needn't know how many moths were in 9 weeks, she knew **exactly** where that baby had come from.

What she didn't know, was what would become of them both.

"It's all right." Sakura wrapped her arms around her and rocked her back and forth. "It's not so bad, really. You're…"

"Not so bad?!" Ino cried out. "What am I going to tell my parents? What am I going to tell Sensei? What… what am I going to tell Shikamaru?!"

"Shikamaru?" Sakura tilted her head.

Between sobbing gulps, Ino told Sakura about their terrible mistake.

"We'll think of something." Was all she could say after hearing her messed up story. "There must be a way, we just have to find it."

Ino stiffened at Sakura's words.

'_We'll think of something…' _That was it! She couldn't do anything about it **now, **but **Sakura **could!

Very slowly, she lift her swollen eyes and stared miserably at Sakura's grim face.

"Please… please help me…" She said in a hoarse whisper. "You must _(sob) _understand… please"

Her mouth twisting into a distorted attempt of a smile, Sakura pulled Ino's results off her clipboard and began shredding them to bits.

"Don't worry, I swear no one will find out."

"That's… that's not it." Ino shook her head slowly. "Could you…"

She hesitated for a second, then drew in a deep breath and asked the most infamous question she would ever make.

**(Loves Me… Loves Me Not…)**

_Hello again people! We will like to use this space to thank __**ShikaIno1, mysticXdrops, ShikaInoInuKikIchiHime36, Just a reader, Yoky2cool4u, sisslaly19,RosieWinterMoon, Wild'nFree, MidnightNinja77, Hitsuhina fanatic, Guest, AshesOfMyLife90, iluvninjas, Haai, BananaBabe903, inamehyuuga, what. , Serene Grace, Cecilia Glass, RAIKIM4everlover, Reverence of the Night Rain, Anie92, kimochichokimochi and Syn'ri **_for reading our story and supporting us with their wonderful reviews!

Also, special thanks to **Shizuka Taiyou, Crow's Gamble **and, of course, our dear **MahoShoujo, **for being so damn awesome!

We honestly can't express how grateful we are. Thanks to you we have achieved over 60 reviews and over 3,500 hits! Please help us get more. If you R&R, we'll read and review your stories, promise!

And let us tell you, we always review EVERY-SINGLE-CHAPTER of any story we read ;)

_**PREVIEW**_

"_Should you really be here?" He asked on a flat tone without bothering to straighten up. _

"_Yes." She replied simply as she sat down next to him under the weather-worn roof, to which Shikamaru grunted in displeasure. _

"_I expected you to be resting at home." He said grumpily. Then, noticing her puffy eyes and swollen face, he added- "You look terrible."_

_He turned his eyes back towards the clouds, which in Shikamaru language meant the conversation was over. _

_But it couldn't end like that. Ino wouldn't let it happen._

"_Shikamaru… I need to talk to you." She struggled to push her tears back._

"_I'm listening."_

_Chapter Eight. - "Forget That You Forgot."_

_And, just as a side note, we're also working on our story "Game of Fear" (M rated for violence, not lemons -_-), so please check it out if you have the chance. _


	8. Wake Up To Reality

"… _and that's what happened." She concluded at last._

"_So…" Shikamaru summarized after Ino's 10 minute speech. "What you're trying to tell me is that the writers used the wrong title on the last chapter's preview?"_

"_Pretty much, yeah." She nodded energetically. "They said this chapter would be 'Forget That You Forgot', but it's actually 'Wake Up To Reality'."_

"_They do know that no one ever reads their author's notes, don't they?"_

"_I think they're still in a state of denial." _

**Chapter Eight**

**Wake Up To Reality**

He was exactly where she knew he would be.

'_Are you really going to do this?' _She asked herself.

'_Do I have a choice?' _She answered.

Trying to keep her knees from buckling, she crossed the flat roof silently towards him. Her cheek still stung where Sakura had hit.

If it were up to her, Shikamaru would never find out. If it were up to her, no one would **ever** find out.

But Sakura was right, the baby that she now carried was **theirs**, not **hers** alone. Shikamaru had a right to know and it was also his responsibility.

'_That decision is not yours!' _She'd said before pushing her out of her office and slamming the door right on her face.

Shikamaru laid lazily on his back under the shadow of the little roof that she and Chouji had fashioned out of old wooden boards as a surprise for their partner, who would have rather laid under the blazing sun than do anything about it himself. With his eyes closed and his arms crossed behind his head, it would have been easy for anyone to assume he was sleeping, but Ino knew better.

Shikamaru liked that specific place to relax and go through his thoughts as he stared lazily at the clouds. Ino wouldn't be surprised to come back in 60 years to find him in that exact same place.

'_Why him?' _She asked. He was smart, of course, but he wasn't thoughtful, or handsome, or strong. Aside from his IQ, everything about him was pretty average. _'Out of all men, why him?'_

"Shi…kamaru…" She called out to him through the lump in her throat.

Obviously recognizing her voice, his body stiffened and he frowned slightly before turning his lazy eyes to her. His stare was apprehensive, because avoiding to be in the same place alone was a rule that went without saying.

What would he do when she told him the truth? Would he believe her? She'd heard that men often denied their responsibility in these cases, would Shikamaru be the same?

Well, what was she thinking? That was Shikamaru she was talking about! He wouldn't do anything about it, he'd just think it a drat and disregard it completely!

Besides, what was she **expecting** him to do? There was nothing either of them could do now.

"Should you really be here?" He asked on a flat tone without bothering to straighten up.

"Yes." She replied simply as she sat down next to him under the weather-worn roof, to which Shikamaru grunted in displeasure.

"I expected you to be resting at home." He said simply. Then, noticing her puffy eyes and swollen face, he added- "You look terrible."

He turned his eyes back towards the clouds, which in Shikamaru language meant the conversation was over.

But it couldn't end like that. Ino wouldn't let it happen.

"Shikamaru, I need to talk to you." She struggled to push her tears back.

"I'm listening."

How to tell him? She didn't even know how to start.

'_What about the beginning?' _

"That…" She swallowed hard. "That day…"

There was no need to specify. Sighing deeply, Shikamaru forced himself onto a sitting position and scratched his head.

"I thought we'd agreed." His eyes still avoided her. "You asked me to forget, and so I did."

"I wish I could." She sobbed, unable to control herself any longer.

"Oi, oi!" Shikamaru said in alarm. For a second it looked as though he would reach out and comfort her but, of course, he didn't. "Don't go like that again. I thought it was ok now."

"It was…" Tears were now running freely down her cheeks and her chest felt like it was being crushed. "Until today…"

"What do you mean? What happened today?" His eyes widened. "Did you get sick because of what happened that day?"

"Sakura told me…" She shook her head. "I'm not sick Shikamaru, I'm… I'm…"

She hid her face behind her hands because she just couldn't stand the sight of him. She couldn't stand the look on his face when he learned the truth.

"I'm pregnant!"

The whole world went horribly silent.

**(Loves Me… Loves Me Not…) **

_Ten.- Tomala!_

_Vianey.- Ten!_

_Ten.- Sorry, couldn't help it. I think I'm beginning to like this story._

_Glacia.- Like it? You __**write **__it, you are __**supposed **__to like it! _

_Vianey.- Anyways. So sorry for this extremely short chapter, but it's the only way we can update fast. We all remember what happened when we tried to write a long chapter._

_Glacia.- Year-long hiatus. I doubt anyone would enjoy that, especially not us._

_Vianey.- So, if you liked it, please review. Yes, Shizuka-san, we are taking your considerations into account…_

_Ten.- With a twist of our own, of course. Everything here has to follow a route of disgrace or we wouldn't be ourselves anymore. _

_Glacia.- Things go fluffy after this, and yes, they get dramatic (obviously) and (very) unexpected things happen._

_Vianey.- As thought when exactly they fall in love, we can't really say. We'll just have to wait and see, they'll do it when they're ready._

_Ten.- Hey, are we writing a bed scene here?_

_Vianey/Glacia: NO!_

_Ten.- Ok, ok… just asking…_

_**PREVIEW**_

_He had kissed Ino that night (the only fragment he had been able to force his brain into remembering), but it wasn't until that moment that he remembered why. _

_Ino had gotten her heart broken by some random guy, and even though he didn't know much about girl's feelings (how should he?), he was sure Ino was worried about never finding a love partner and now, thanks to him, her fears had turned into reality._

'_No.' He grit his teeth. 'I'm not ruining her life. No!'_

'_Its all your fault!'_

_Just another quick note, to those who reviewed but we haven't reviewed your stories, please be patient. We'll get to you on time, we promise (:_


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